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In the history of World Cup Soccer, when the US is behind at halftime, the US is 0-14 and 1.

So when the US was down 1-0 at halftime against Portugal, the 4th ranked team in the world, you would say it will take a near-miracle for the US to win.

And then magic happened. I mean the type of magic that causes grownups from all over the world, of different languages, cultures and class, to act with infant immaturity and certifiable craziness.USA’s Jermaine Jones’s laser-shot strike curved into the right corner of the net to tie the match. ESPN showed fan reactions to the US goal in Chicago, New York, and other fan-crazed cities. Fans erupted from their seats, causing an eruption of spontaneous flying beer like mini-fireworks. It was described by ESPN commentators as a “beautiful waste of beer”.

Then in the 81st minute, Clint Dempsey created a belly shot for a US lead 2-1. More flying beer. With less than a minute left in the match, when scoring is ever so unlikely, victory was almost assured. There are so many scenarios that could have iced the match. A kick out of bounds – anything but a miss hit would seal what was already being called the greatest victory in USA soccer history.

Michael Bradley did the one thing you can’t do – a miss hit give-away at midfield.

But at that moment, you are still going to win. All the US had to do is follow one cardinal rule. As player-turned-analyst Landon Donovan said, “Don’t let them get behind you.”.That is the same golden rule in American football. Your opponent is desperate and out of time.They have no other choices. We call it a “Hail Mary” pass to the end zone. Nothing else will likely beat you. We all know that 99.9 % of the time, the pass fails.

The magic of this match was still in play. But it changed teams. The one person the US did not want with the ball was Portugal’s superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. He is the world Player of the Year in the sport. But in the perfect storm of circumstances that had to happen for Portugal, Ronaldo got the ball. He was the one that had to have the perfect cross in front of the goal. He did that.

But that would not be enough either, if the cardinal rule was upheld – don’t let them get behind you. A perfect Ronaldo strike was met with the one person who got behind three US defenders. At the precise moment required for a header in front of the goal, it happened. It was the very last shot in the very last 30 seconds of the match.

So instead of the greatest win in US soccer history, there was a 2-2 draw. All is not lost. There is still a chance for the US to go through to the next level.

Yet USA soccer still wins because there will now be a build up to Thursday’s all-important match with Germany. So this draw will likely "draw" in more people to the sport that are not yet fans. And if USA ties or beats Germany, soccer in America will rise to a stratosphere of which it is unfamiliar. So the draw really is the draw. “Game on” we could say. Better said: “Soccer On!” More flying beer.